U.S. Postal Service: Diversity in District Management-Level Positions

The Allegheny Area formed a Workplace Assessment Team to study the Youngstown Processing and Distribution Center to identify workplace issues of discrimination, communication, and labor management relations, and to make recommendations for improvement. The team used three methods to gather data: (1) a climate assessment in which 25 percent of the workforce was interviewed; (2) focus groups with 7 target groups including black males and females, white males and females, Hispanics, and union stewards; and (3) a review of FY EEO data compared to FY99 data. The team found that: (1) several employees perceived that management treated some employees unfairly and showed favoritism to others; (2) several employees perceived a lack of cooperation and teamwork among co-workers and expressed concern over their ability to get along with each other; (3) several employees perceived management to be ineffective in communicating with employees; (4) several employees perceived diversity issues, including race and gender; (5) some supervisors perceived that upper management did not provide recognition based upon performance or hold supervisors accountable for poor performance; and (6) EEO data showed that EEO complaints decreased 30.4 percent in FY00 from FY99. Where complaints went to hearing in 1999 and 2000, there were no findings of employment discrimination by the EEOC. Most 1999 complaints cited sex and race as the bases for complaints and assignment of duties and termination as the issues. In 2000, most complaints cited were physical disability and sex as the bases and assignment of duties and allegations of harassment as the issues. The Area office made 17 recommendations to address the findings, including implementing employee recognition programs based on clearly defined and measurable performance indicators; conducting team-building exercises and workplace violence prevention programs; doing training sessions for supervisors and managers on effectively communicating with employees; conducting diversity sensitivity training for all employees; and developing performance improvement plans for those supervisors who do not meet goals and expectations. The Akron District developed an action plan establishing 13 activities for implementing the recommendations. Certain activities will be ongoing, such as 15-minute question and answer sessions between the Plant Manager and employees on each workshift addressing communications issues. The recommendations are being addressed through a variety of activities, including sharing the Team Allegheny Results Training with supervisors; providing up to four hours of workplace violence prevention training to management and craft employees; making a suggestion box available to all employees and a separate communication board for employee questions to which management will respond within 10 days of receipt; instituting a 2-4 hour diversity program for training management staff on interpersonal skills; establishing a program to recognize exemplary employees through verbal recognition, special achievement awards, and certificates of appreciation. The Area Office has said that a followup assessment will be done in 8-12 months. GAO considers the Youngstown actions to have sufficiently addressed the recommendations.